In motor vehicles with manual transmissions there is a mechanical clutch which can normally be actuated by way of a foot pedal by the driver of a motor vehicle during a shifting process which takes place by manual actuation of the manual transmission to interrupt the flow of power between the engine and transmission of the vehicle. At high engine speed in idle and in a start-up process which takes place at high engine speed (for example, in a racing start with a slipping clutch) very high frictional work is transmitted to the clutch due to the large difference in speed between the engine and transmission. This leads to very strong thermal loading of the clutch; this results in premature clutch wear, especially for high-torque and high-pickup, high-revolution engines with four-wheel drive.
The object of the invention is to devise a method for engine control of a motor vehicle with a manual transmission, in which the adverse effects on the clutch, especially in the start-up process and in idling of the motor vehicle, are avoided.